In the Aftermath
by Phosphorescent
Summary: The day after Elphaba left to meet the Wizard, Fiyero's life got a bit crazier. Now he's busy trying to figure out his emerging feelings for Elphaba, his ever-confusing relationship with Glinda, his princely responsibilities, and an Oz-wide conspiracy. -On Hiatus-
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own or lay claim to anything even tenuously associated with_ Wicked_ or _The Wizard of Oz _or any of the characters, situations, settings, etc. contained therein. They belong to various individuals who are considerably more talented and well-off than myself; included among these people are Gregory Maguire, Winnie Holzman, Stephen Schwartz, L. Frank Baum, and the company of MGM. I am only playing with the aforesaid characters, situations, settings, etc. for my own amusement and am making no profit whatsoever from this (other than the betterment of my writing skills and my own amusement). No copyright or trademark infringement is intended._

_A/N: For my 50th fic here on FF.N, I'm returning to my roots: Wicked. I was cleaning out my files when I ran across a Wicked fic that I wrote a little over five years ago. Originally it was part of a much longer story (an epic that was supposed to stretch from a few days before Fiyero's arrival at Shiz to the end of the show), but I know that realistically I'm never going to finish it. Therefore,__ I've carved out a few of the better written sections and am in the process of turning them into a semi-coherent story. Eventually, this fic will be somewhere between two and ten chapters. My apologies in advance for my slow updates!_

_Just a reminder: Fiyero wasn't there when Elphaba offered to take Glinda with her to the Emerald City. Therefore, he has no idea what's going on at first._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Fiyero thought it a bit peculiar when he didn't see Galinda – _no, Glinda_, he reminded himself – in class or at meals the next day. He had known, of course, that she was fairly close to Elphaba, but he hadn't realized that she would take her departure _this_ hard. It wasn't like Glinda to shut herself up in her room and isolate. It couldn't be healthy.

And so, despite his intentions to think of a way to gently break up with Ga – _Glinda_, he found himself heading to her dormitory, with the express purpose of cheering her up and getting her out of her room.

When he knocked at the door, no one answered.

That was a bit strange, too.

No matter _how_ upset Glinda was at Elphaba's departure, surely she wouldn't miss the chance to tell someone else how miserable she was. And she was too well-bred not to answer the door, anyways. Keeping up appearances and all that.

Something was very wrong here.

He knocked again – louder this time. There was still no reply.

He briefly contemplated breaking down the door, but quickly dismissed that plan. If Glinda really _was_ in there, she'd be pretty annoyed with him if he smashed her door in. Morrible wouldn't be terribly pleased with him either – and he was on thin enough ice with her right now, after the whole Lion Cub incident. He didn't want to get kicked out of Shiz – not now.

So, with a shrug, he resigned himself to waiting for Glinda to make an appearance. She couldn't stay in her room forever – if, indeed, that was where she was. And if she wasn't in her room… well, if he didn't see her by the end of tomorrow, he'd think of something.

_-–-–-–-_

The next day, Fiyero had gone downtown to get a cup of coffee – he had Early Gilikin Literature in an hour, and he needed the caffeine if he was going to have any hope of getting through the class.

Glinda still hadn't shown up to any of her classes, and he hadn't seen her in the dining hall or at any of her usual haunts; something about this jangled at his nerves. It felt all wrong.

As he was musing on this, Fiyero absently noted that the newspaper vendors seemed to be doing an unusually brisk business that morning. He didn't pay much attention to this, however, as he had just reached Mr. Quaddle's Café & Coffee Shop. It wasn't the most sophisticated of places, but Fiyero had yet to find a place in the area that served a stronger cup of coffee.

Entering the shop, he promptly ordered his usual – a dark, bitter Vinkus-blend – and sat on a barstool for a few minutes, attempting to sip his steaming drink. When it had cooled sufficiently for him to able to drink it without scorching his tongue, Fiyero gulped it down. Normally he sipped at his coffee leisurely – why pay good money for something if you didn't take the time to enjoy it?, he reasoned – but today he needed to get back up to the school. Although he wouldn't mind missing the Literature class, he knew perfectly well that Madam Morrible _would_ mind – and he didn't want to get into any trouble with her so soon after the last incident.

As he strode along the street back to Shiz, Fiyero heard the newspaper vendors shouting out the latest headlines.

"Wicked Witch of the West Attacks Wizard!"

He rolled his eyes.

'The Wicked Witch of the West'? What sort of a name – well, title more accurately, he supposed – was that anyway? _He'd_ never heard of this person. Besides, the security around the Wizard was far too good to be breached by some petty terrorist.

"Green Terror Terrorizes Capitol City!"

_Hold on – 'green terror'_?

Fiyero only knew of one green person. One green person with a rather bad temper.

"Monkeys Mutilated by New Insurgent! Denizens of Emerald City Fear for their Lives!"

Trying to push away the hollow feeling of dread that was growing in his stomach, Fiyero shoved his way through a cluster of onlookers to a man selling papers.

One look at the front page of the paper confirmed all of his worst fears. A picture of Elphaba – bedecked in a black cloak and a very familiar witch's hat – scowled down at him, a broom tightly clutched in her fingers. The headline proclaimed 'Where Will She Strike Next?: Wicked Witch Swears Vengeance On Our Wonderful Wizard'.

The feeling of dread settled in his stomach like a stone.

_Oh Elphaba_, he thought desperately, _what have you done?_

_-–-–-–-_

Fiyero was been unable to concentrate all throughout Early Gilikin Literature. His only consolation was that no one else was concentrating either – not that this was an unusual occurrence, per se. The only unusual thing about it was the reason.

He kept trying to sneak a look at his paper – he had been unable to read much of it on the way up to school – but Madam MaClain had caught him at it and confiscated the paper.

"After class, Mr. Tiggular," she snapped briskly.

He nodded, attempting to look penitent, but afraid that he only looked resentful.

After suffering through an hour and fifteen minutes of sheer mind-numbing boredom, Fiyero was treated to a lecture by the professor on proper conduct in class. At the end of this, she returned him his paper, with the explicit warning that if she were to catch him not paying attention in her class again, there would be unpleasant consequences.

Fiyero's first action upon reaching his room was to bolt the door and collapse on his bed. Unfolding the paper, he began to read the article. As he shortly discovered, the whole state of affairs was much worse than he could have imagined.

**_Where Will She Strike Next?_**

_Wicked Witch Swears Vengeance on Our Wonderful Wizard; Newly-Titled Good Witch Barely Escapes With her Life_

_by Nexun Figul, Special Correspondent_

_When Miss Glinda Upland was invited to the Emerald City by the Wonderful Wizard himself, she had no idea that she was about to be bestowed with a greater honor yet. The Wizard, having heard of her Goodness and great talent for sorcery, wanted to offer her a position in the government in advance, which she would take up after her after her graduation from the prestigious Shiz University, where she is currently a student. _

"_I was astonished," Upland states, tossing her blonde hair. "I never could have dreamed of such an honor. Of course I accepted it – who wouldn't, after all?" _

_The Wizard has granted Miss Upland the title of 'Glinda the Good'. Citizens of Oz, we are sure, rejoice upon hearing this good news._

_Unfortunately, not everyone was as happy about the Good Witch's good fortune. A Wicked Witch – with hideous skin as green as sin – had concealed herself in the throne room, and overheard the entire conversation. Overcome with jealousy, she burst from her hiding spot, and attempted to threaten the Wizard. When he refused to yield to her demands, she vengefully disfigured some of the Wizard's monkey servants. The monkeys twitched and convulsed with pain, and soon sprouted wings; these poor creatures are now deformed for life._

_But the Witch was not satisfied with this alone. She then tried to kidnap our beautiful Miss Glinda, who narrowly escaped with her life. Guards were summoned to contain this abomination of nature, but it was too late. Using her unnatural powers, the Witch had summoned a broomstick, and took flight. According to eye-witnesses, her cackle was "spine-chilling" as she told the Wizard that he'd never catch her, and that she would do whatever it took to bring him down._

_Citizens of Oz, be warned: the Wicked Witch's malevolence knows no bounds._

_Press Secretary to the Wizard, the esteemed Madam Morrible, advises the public: "If you see the Witch, contact security immediately. Do not attempt to deal with the problem on your own – she's much too powerful. Heed nothing she says; she's evil, no matter how she may try to persuade you otherwise. Even if her skin does not convince you of her Wickedness, her actions will. I myself am horrified by her deliberate mutilation of these monkeys, who were merely innocent bystanders. Remember, if she will do this to poor, dumb beasts who pose no threat to her, she will certainly do to worse to you."_

_Since this occurred last evening, sightings of the Witch have flooded in from all over the countryside._

_Citizens are advised not to panic, and reminded that offering the Witch shelter or assistance is a criminal offence._

"_I can't understand why anyone would do something so horrible," Her Goodness Miss Glinda said, blue eyes filling with tears. "I just can't understand."_

_The Great and Terrible Oz, however, assures us that the Witch will be caught and brought to justice soon. Until such time, however, citizens are urged to exercise caution._

"_She can't hide forever," the Wizard said in a recent statement to the press. "She has to show her face sometime. And when she reveals herself, we'll be ready."_

_-–-–-–-_

_It can't be true_, Fiyero thought hazily as he went about the rest of his day on autopilot. _Elphaba would never harm an animal, no matter how upset she was. And besides, the Wizard asked to see _her_, not Glinda!_

He awkwardly maneuvered his way through a crowd of students.

_For that matter, was Glinda ever even invited? She must have gone along with Elphaba… that's why I haven't seen her around here! But – if things didn't happen the way the paper said – well, why would everyone lie? It must be the paper, they got the facts mixed up…_

But he knew that this was unlikely to be the case. All of the papers, from the Oziad to the tabloids, were controlled – at least to some degree – by the government. So there was a high probability that anything printed in the paper had already been approved by a higher level authority. Which meant that this couldn't be a simple case of the facts getting mixed up. No, this was something bigger.

_Oh, so now you're subscribing to conspiracy theories?_ Fiyero asked himself disgustedly. _You're paranoid, Fiyero Tiggular, absolutely insane._

But really… what else could it be? Something must have happened that the government wanted to cover up. That or…

_No._

He refused to think about it. But thoughts crept into his mind, heedless of his wishes.

_What if… the paper is telling the truth?_

Elphaba _did_ have a nasty temper. Of course, she wouldn't have harmed the monkeys on purpose, but her control of her magic was tenuous at best when she was upset. He could easily imagine her losing her temper about something, losing control of her magic – and the consequences that would then follow. It was all entirely too plausible.

But why would the Wizard allow her to be vilified like this? By all accounts, he had been very interested in getting her to work for him – for there was no denying that Elphaba was quite powerful. Why would he make an enemy of a potential asset and ally? Unless… maybe Elphaba had lost her temper at _him_ for something. And, in retaliation, the Wizard had allowed her name to be blackened.

And when Fiyero shivered, it had nothing to do with the breeze.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Shockingly, Wicked still isn't mine._

_A/N: Happy New Year, everyone!_

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Glinda returned about a week later, accompanied by Madam Morrible and an honor guard from the Emerald City… much to the populace of Shiz's excitement. As it was, gossip had been flying, and now someone who had actually _been_ there could verify the reports.

She looked paler, Fiyero thought, and the smile that she graced the crowds with appeared rather pasted on. That wasn't to say that the smiles she reserved for crowds were usually genuine, but they _were_ normally better imitations of the actual article. He was worried.

"Miss Upland has gone through a terrible ordeal, and I ask that you give her her space for the time being," Madam Morrible announced regally.

Everyone had grumbled, but one did not argue with or defy the Headmistress – at least not openly. And Fiyero had no doubt that Glinda would be pestered about recent events soon enough.

Upon seeing Fiyero in the crowd, Glinda's smile wavered a bit, but she quickly hitched it back on her face. He wanted to talk to her, to hear her story, to comfort her – and it looked like she desperately need comforting – but he didn't get the chance, as she went straight to her room and locked the door.

Deciding to be a gentleman, Fiyero went down to dinner, giving her some time to herself. He ate mechanically, not really tasting anything, and only half-hearing the various conversations going on around him.

The next day, Glinda did not appear in any of her classes, nor did she show up in the Hall for meals. That was when Fiyero knew that things were really serious – Glinda had to be quite upset to be willing to forgo appearances.

And, later that evening, he decided that being a gentleman was rather overrated: he wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

With that thought, he went down to the kitchens and coaxed a pot of Gilliken tea and a plate of sandwiches from one of the maids. In Fiyero's (admittedly limited) experience, bribery often worked best when dealing with hysterical females. And since he hadn't seen her in the dining hall, it was likely that she was quite hungry. These in hand, he proceeded to Glinda and Elphaba's dorm room. Balancing them on one hand, he rapped politely at the door.

"Go 'way," a muffled voice said through the door. "I already told you, Pfanee, I don't feel like talking right now."

So Mistress Pfanee had been pestering her, had she?

"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you," Fiyero said amusedly, "but I am afraid that I am not Miss Pfanee."

"Fiyero?"

"The one and only."

There was no reply, and, after a moment of silence, he added cunningly, "I've got tea and sandwiches… but you only get them if you let me in."

Another pause. Then:

"What types?"

"Open the door and see for yourself."

There was a slightly piqued-sounding sniff – truly, Glinda was the only person he knew who could imbue a simple sniff with so much meaning – and the door was hesitantly opened a crack. From what Fiyero could see, her eyes were tearstained, and her dress slightly crumpled.

"Very well, come in," Glinda said, opening the door further. "But I must apologize for my lack of hospitality in advance; I am not quite up to entertaining, you understand."

He nodded, and, upon entering the room, set the tray down on a small wooden table that he didn't remember seeing before. In fact…

"Glinda, what happened to all of Elphaba's things?"

The bed that had been on the other side of the room was now gone, as were the girl's few possessions.

"They have been removed," Glinda said stiffly. "I think Madam Morrible wants to erase her from Shiz, to act as though she was never a pupil here."

She was sitting stiffly on that poofy-cushioned monstrosity of an armchair, ankles crossed neatly. She was twisting her hands anxiously in her lap, however, in a way that rather reminded Fiyero of his little sister when she had something that she was trying to keep secret.

"So…" Glinda said with false brightness after an excruciating pause. "What have you been up to, dearest?"

"Glinda…"

"I'm sure there's plenty of gossip that I've missed out on," she continued, plowing ahead bravely. She leaned over the platter of sandwiches, painstakingly selected one, and took a dainty bite.

"Glinda, stop it!" Fiyero said. "How can you… pretend nothing's happened?" He gestured emphatically with his hands, feeling frustration swamp him. "What happened there? What happened to _you_? What happened to _Elphaba_?"

"I'm sure you've seen the papers," Glinda said in an answer that wasn't really an answer.

"Damn it, stop evading the question," he snapped. "That's not an answer, and you know it!"

She gazed back at him, wide-eyed. He had never sworn at her before. Then she burst into tears.

Feeling like an absolute heel, he instantly apologized.

"I'm sorry, Glinda, really I am. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just… I'm worried."

She kept on crying, wrapping her arms about herself protectively, and rocking slightly.

He felt horribly awkward – he had never been very good at comforting crying females. Hesitantly, he approached her and patted her gingerly on the back, making what he hoped were low, soothing sounds.

Eventually, Glinda's tears ran their course, and she looked up, sniffling.

"Could you hand me that handkerchief on my bureau?"

He walked over to her bureau, located the handkerchief in question, and handed it to her. She wiped her eyes with it, then blew her nose.

"Thank you."

"It's the least I could do," he told her.

She nodded, looking on the verge of tears again.

"Look, whatever happened in the Emerald City is obviously upsetting you," he said, trying a different tack. "Talking about it might help. You know I won't repeat anything that you tell me."

"It's not that," Glinda said quietly, suddenly looking very young and vulnerable. Something in her eyes, though, was infinitely old. "I had to swear that I… I wouldn't tell _anyone_ what happened. Oh no! I shouldn't have said that."

_Had to swear not to tell…? Then that means that the papers _weren't_ telling the truth!_ he thought exultantly.

"Well, as long as I don't say anything, and _you_ don't say anything, they've no way to know that you told me," he pointed out reasonably.

"I wish I could be sure of that, but Morrible might have put some sort of a detection spell on me," she explained, looking weary. Then, after a moment of silence, she said, "Oh… to – to _hell_ with it!"

Glinda's eyes then widened, as though rather shocked at her own daring. Fiyero felt his own eyes widen. He'd never heard Glinda swear before.

"If she's put a spell on me, then I'm probably already in trouble for saying as much as I have," Glinda said. "You might as well hear everything."

And so she proceeded to tell him the tale, starting with their departure for the Emerald City, and ending with her own return with Madam Morrible.

"What was I supposed to do, Fiyero?" she asked him, half-rhetorically. "I'm not brave, not like Elphie. And the Wizard and Morrible… they gave me a choice: either keep my 'pretty little mouth shut', and, in return be given a prestigious position, or have something horrible happen to me. Oh, they didn't say that in so many words, but the threat was there. And the worst of it is… I half believed what they were saying, about Elphaba being Wicked. They were so _convincing_, so _sympathetic_. I was confused and scared and…"

She trailed off.

"And so I betrayed her."

Her tone was flat.

"Elphaba would understand," he told her, offering what weak consolation he could.

"Would she?" Glinda asked bitterly, reflectively.

It occurred to him that Glinda had grown up. Not completely, of course, but… she'd aged, somehow, in the past week.

"And now," Glinda said with a little hysterical laugh that was half a sob, "I'm a national heroine! And there's a part of me that's _enjoying_ it! Not denouncing her, I don't think I'll ever be so far gone as to enjoy _that_ – but all of the attention and the glitter."

She paused minutely, then added, "And I hate her for going away and leaving me alone."

"You're not alone," Fiyero protested. "I'm here."

"Yes, well, thank the Unnamed God for that," Glinda said. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you."

"Starve to death, undoubtedly," Fiyero said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Those sandwiches aren't just for decoration, you know. Eat."

"Oh! Right. I'd forgotten that they were there," she explained sheepishly. And with that she dug hungrily into the sandwich that she had nibbled at earlier, manners temporarily thrown to the winds.

He poured her a cup of tea, which she gratefully accepted, then asked, "So… what happens now?"

"Hmm?" Glinda asked, taking a sip of the tea. "Fiyero, you forgot to get the cream and sugar!"

He shrugged.

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted," Glinda said demurely.

Yes, Glinda had always been good at pretending that unpleasant truths didn't exist, Fiyero reflected. As had he, for that matter. But that didn't stop those truths from being _true_, he realized with a start. If they shut their eyes, this whole mess wouldn't just go away.

It was a rather depressing thought.

"I wonder what Elphaba's doing right now," he murmured.

"Don't!" Glinda said, voice a bit choked. "Just… don't. Not right now. Please."

"You can't hide forever, Glinda," Fiyero told her, trying to control his exasperation.

"I know," Glinda said. "I know."

_-–-–-–-_

As he headed back to his dormitory, the full enormity of the situation finally hit Fiyero, causing him to stagger. He leaned against a wall for support, and shut his eyes wearily.

_Elphaba…_

She had defied the Wizard — the _Wizard_!

_Elphaba, you dear idiot,_ he thought. _Couldn't you keep your mouth shut just _once_? Of course, if you could stand by while injustice was done, you wouldn't be the same girl I love._

_Wait… love?_

_No, that's ridiculous_, he decided. _Attraction, admiration, liking — those I can admit to. But love?_

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the disturbing thought. In doing so, however, he returned to equally disturbing ones.

Elphaba had defied the Wizard, been branded a Public Enemy, and was now on the run from the law. The Wizard was having dealings that went beyond Fiyero's worst and wildest imaginings. In short, his whole world had somehow gone topsy-turvy, and he had no idea how to put it back to rights.

He banged his head against the wall before proceeding to his dormitory. It was going to be a long night.


End file.
